BY LAUREN RAMSEYER
ASSISTANT EDITOR
I made the short walk down to the mailbox on the windy Sunday afternoon to slip my absentee ballot into the mailbox to send it on its way back to Illinois.
In case you have missed all of the signs around campus or all the advertisements for different candidates, it is election-time again.
As an American citizen it is your civic duty to take part in every election. More importantly, as a Catholic, it is your moral obligation to help choose who will be involved in the governing of our country.
“Responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation,” said the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in their document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.”
Now, I realize it can be hard to remember to vote when you are neck-deep in midterm examinations or just relishing the fact that you are living at the university-on-a-hill, far away from the “real world” of dirty politics.
Whether we like it or not, politics is a very real part of our society and one that affects not only us as individuals, but as we have seen recently, the way we are able to live out our Catholic faith.
We are living in a time that is not friendly to Catholic morality or, it seems, to those who try to live good, Christian lives. We must bring the light of the pro-life, pro-marriage and religious freedom back into our country by choosing upstanding individuals who will uphold our constitution.
If you are unsure of who has the most Catholic-view on the big issues, the best way to decide who to vote for is to find a Catholic or pro-life organization that have interviewed each candidate about moral issues.
Just remember that these elections affect you, your family, your Church in a very real way. If you do not take part in elections by your own choosing, you are neglecting the civic voice with which you have been blessed to have in this country.